I'm mad as hell.

I was looking through a women’s magazine last night. There was an article that showed how to dress based on your “body flaws”, as in large hips, big bust, thick middle, etc. Next to the accompanying advice were photos. I assumed these were before/after pictures of real women that really wanted to use clothing to represent their body differently. I was absolutely disgusted that the magazine chose to use women that clearly DID NOT have the “body flaws” the article talked about. Tall, thin, gorgeous women, all size 2. They looked super skinny in the “before”, and equally as skinny in the “after”. Is this a joke? The pressure that society is putting on women to look a certain way is disgusting. I propose the “Magazine for The Rest of Us”.

The Magazine for The Rest of Us will:

1. Not have Photoshoped photos. If the model has a zit, then cover it with make- up. We will all know that she has a zit with make-up on it and we will all feel better about it.

2. Have make-up advice that is OF VALUE. A make-up artist who explains how she makes Julia Roberts’ eyes look beautiful is of no interest to us. We want before/after photos of 50 pairs of eyes from women at a mall.

3. NOT give diet advice or even talk about weight. We are sick of reading about it. It just makes everyone feel bad. Enough. If you want diet advice, visit your doctor. Otherwise accept your body as is.

4. Require that models used in ads Represent the readership. I don’t think 19 year old, size 0 models would be interested in this magazine so they don’t need to be in it. Target, GAP, and Macy’s will feature ads with women that are size 12.

5. Feature real girl talk. Hair fried because of perms? We’ll talk about it. Scared about childbirth? We’ll go there.

6. Not try to change us. The Magazine for the Rest of Us will support us in being who we already are.